Ladders have a bad name in our society today. Superstitious people wont walk under them, women don’t want them in their tights, and any of you who watch daytime TV will be familiar with the advert where a gent falls off a ladder and then sues. So when Jacob dreams of one in the beginning of this weeks parshah, our initial reaction may be one of trepidation. Will it mean bad luck? Will an angel fall off it in his dream and sue him? These are two of the questions that may, or may not, be at the forefront of our minds.

The ladder in Jacobs dream is good however.

Jacob was on his way out of the land of Israel, to Haran to do some work for his uncle. The sun sets as he reaches the border, he arranges some rocks, makes the rock his pillow, and falls asleep. In his dream he sees a ladder ascending all the way to heaven with angels going up and then going down it. Far from how we may interpret a ladder in a dream, Rashi tells us it is a comforting dream. He tells us the angels ascending are the angels which have been accompanying Jacob in the Land of Israel, but cannot leave it. The angels coming down are the angels that are from outside the holy land and will accompany him on his way. Jacob’s dream tells him he will never be without the guidance of heaven.

Let us not forget the situation that Jacob is leaving behind. He leaves behind an ageing father whom he deceived, and a brother whose birthright he took. Esau was most likely very angry with him. I don’t think it is too much to say that Jacob was in some part running away from his home. The dream, the angels coming down the ladder to him tell him that all will be ok, that God is still on his side. When he wakes he realises this. He takes his pillow, and turns it into an altar, pledging his faith to God, asking God to watch over him, and ensure his eventual return back to his fathers house.

He shows us that nothing is unforgivable, that everything has a solution, and good things can come from anywhere. In more modern vernacular, every cloud has a silver lining.

Of course there are some things one can do that puts one beyond the pale, actions from which it is impossible to make reconciliation after they have been committed. Unfortunately in our world, numerous examples spring to mind, I will not name the here, but we can all come up with several without much effort.

For the most part however we, like Jacob will always have a place that is our home, where we will be forgiven, maybe not immediately, but eventually we will be. We have a place where the overriding emotion is Love, be it with our friends, our family, our community, or even our youth movement.

Cheryl Sklan once told me that ‘whatever decision you make is the right decision’ sometimes we make mistakes, do things that with the benefit of hindsight we wish we hadn’t, or made decisions that we don’t regret but still had ramifications for people that are unfortunate. Jacob teaches us that this is sometimes what we have to do, and that there will always be a  source of love and support for us through our trials.

By Adam Berkley

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